Cover for service-boxes



J W GIBNEY COVER FOR SERVICE BOXES. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27. 19:9.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

ilin/ways UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES w. GIBNEY, or BUFFALO, NEW YonK, assxenon T0 w. P. TAYLOR comm, or BUFFALO, new YORK, A conrona'rron or NEW YORK.

COVER FOR SERVICE-BOXES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

Application filed February 27, 1919. Serial No. 279,558.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES W. GIBNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing in Bu fi'alo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in, Covers for Service-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a cover or lid which is more particularly designed for closing the ends of service boxes or pipes which surround the stop cocks or valves of water or gas service pipes and enable the same to be reached by a key from the surface of the ground.

It is the object of this invention to provide a cover or lid of this character with improved means for detachably connecting the same with the end of the service box so that the cover may be readily and conveniently applied to and removed from, the box. A further object of this invention is to provide such a cover with means for fastening the 'same on the service box wh ch are simple in construction, capable of being produced at comparatively low cost and not liable to get out of order.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a vertica section showing my improved cover applied to the upper end of a service box or pipe. Fig. 2 1s a horizontal section of the same taken on line 2-2, Fig. 1, looking upwardly. Figs. Sand 4 are fragmentary'vertical sections at right angles to F i 1, taken on lines 3-3, and 4 -4, respectively, on this fi re.

Similar characters of re erence refer to like parts throu bout the several views.

5 represents t e tubular body of a service box or pipe which in the present instance is provided at its upper end with an enlargement or collar 6 which projects upwardly. ,7 represents the body of the cover or lid'which is adapted to close the up er end of the box, this body bein prefera l constructed in, the form of a p ate or dis which rests at'its margin against the upper end of the boxcollar and is rovided on its underside with an annular ange or shoulder 8 which is adapted to engage with the inner side of the box for centering the same thereon against lateral displacement.

Underneath the cover plate and on opposite sides. of its center are arran ed two transversely movable gripping or c amping jaws 9, 9 which are adapted to enga e their outer ends with the inner side or ore of the service box or pipe for the purpose of clamping the cover thereon. These jaws are so guided on this cover plate that they are only capable of moving transversely on this plate but incapable of turning relatively thereto. The preferred means for thus controlling the movement of these clamping jaws consist of two guides 10 having the form of U-shaped loops each of which has its upwardly projecting legs provided with laterally projecting toes 11. The latter and the adjacent upper end portions of the legs are embedded in the body or plate. For this purpose each of these guide loops, consisting preferably of sheet metal are placed in a mold so that when pouring the metal for producing the plate the toes and the legs of the jaw guides will be an chored in the plate without requiring any additional fastening for this purpose. The lower portion of each guide loop pro'ects a sufficient distance below the underside of the cover plate to form a guideway in which the central part of each clamping jaw is free to slide transversely but is prevented from rocking or'turning therein. The out ward motionof the clamping jaw is preferfably limited so as to prevent loss of the same when the cover is removed from the service box this. being accomplished by means of stop lugs or lips 13 pro'ecting downwardly from the inner ends b these jaws in such a position that these stop lu s will engage the inner ends of the gui e loops and thereby prevent the outward withdrawal of the clamping jaws from these guides.

The outward motion of the clamping jaws for causing the same to grip a ainst the inner side of the service box may e eifected in various ways but the means for this purpose which are shown in the drawings are prefen'edand constructed as follows:

Centrally on its underside the cover plate is provided with a downwardly projecting tubular guide collar 18 which latter is provided in its lower end on diametrically opposite sides thereof with longitudinal guide slots [7. IT and on the central part of the cover adjacent to the upper end of the guide eollarthe same is provided with a bearing opening 21.

Vithin the. lower part of the guide collar is arranged, the central part or hub 12 of a spreading. member which hub is preferably of circular form so as to approximately fit the interior of the guide collar and on its opposite sides the hub is provided with laterally projecting shifting lugs 14, 14 which are arranged in the longitudinal slots 17 of the guide collar so that this spreading member is capable of axial movement but is held against turning about the axis of the cover. This spreading member is adapted to move the clamping jaws outwardly into their operative position by a wedging engagement of theclamping member with these jaws. In the preferred form of this wsdging engagement the outer ends 15 of twolugs-of the spreading member are provided with downwardly diverging inclined surfaces 15 which engage with correspondingly inclined surfaces 16 on the inner ends of the clamping'jaws as shown in Fig. 1. Itv follows from this construction that when the spreading member is raised or moved axially upward its inclined faces by engaging with the inclined faces of the clamping jaws,push the latter outwardly so that they grip against the inner side of the service box, while upon moving this spreading member downwardly the pressure on the jaws will be released and thereby permitthe cover to be removed from the service box.

The axial movement. oi the spreading member is preferablyefi'ected by means of a: screw having. the lower externally threaded portion-19,91. its shank arranged within the guide collar and engaging with an internally threadedopening in the center of the s reading member while the upper cylinrical part20'of this shank turns in the opening 21 in the upper part of the cover plate .andits up or head 22 bears against the upper side 0 the plate. Upon turning this screw in one direction the spreading member will be raised andnpon turning the same imth-e opposite direction this memher will be' lowered, thereby either tightening or loosening the clamping jaws and either securing the cover to the service box or permitting the removal of the same therefrom.

In order to prevent the clamping screw from being entirely removed from the spreading member the lower or inner end oi the shank of this screw is provided with a stop pin 23 passingtransversely through the same and securedtlierein so as to project from opposite sides thereof, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, whereby this pin serves as a stop which engages the lower or underside of the spreading member and prevents the withdrawal of the screivfrom the same.

These means for detachably securing a cover or lid on the endof a service box are not only simple and durable in construction but they are also very ellicient in operation and permit of readily and quickly applying the cover to or removing the same from a service box. Moreover this cover and its fastening device contains but very few parts which can be produced at very low cost and are not liable to get out of order.

I claim as my invention:

1. A. service box cover comprising a plate adapted to engage the end of a service box, guides monnted on the underside of said plate on opposite sides of its center and each being previously constructed of U- form independently of the plate and having itslegs embedded in said plate by casting the latter on said legs, jaws slidin in said guides and adapted to engage t eir outer ends with the side of a service box, and means for spreading said jaws engaging with theirinner ends of the same.

2. A service box cover comprising, a plate adapted to engage the end of a service box, guides mounted on the underside of said plate on opposite sides of its center and each being n'cviously constructed of Usform independently oi the plate and having its. legs provided with toes which latter together with the adjacent end portions of the legs are embedded in the plateby casting the latter on said legs and toes, jaws sliding in said guides and ad ted to. engageftheir outer ends with sai .box, andln ns for spreading. said jaws engaging wit tifiiain-ner ends of the same. 7 a

3. A service box cover comprisin a plate adapted to engage the end of theiox and provided centrally. on its underside with a guide collar having guide slots onits diametrically opposite sides, transverse, guides arranged on the underside of said on opposite sides of said collar, jaws slidable in saidtransverse guides and adapted. to engage their uter each; with theside of saidbox, and, an axially movable; spreader guided in said collar d having itsv ends arranged in said slots and enga ing by a Wedge action with the inner ends of said jaws.

4. A service box cover comprising a plate adapted to enga e the end of the box and provided central y on its underside with a guide collar having guide slots on its diametrically opposite sides, transverse guides arranged on the underside of said plate on opposite sides of said collar, jaws slidable in said transverse guides and adapted to engage their outer ends with the side of said box, an axially movable spreader guided in said collar and having its ends arranged in said slots and engaging by a Wedge action spreader.

JAMES W. GIBNEY. 

